2005: Baseball finally returned to Washington, DC 34 years after the Senators left for Texas, as the wayward Montreal Expos still without an owner moved to the Nation's capital.
Immediately after unveiling their logo Nationals apparel became one of the
hottest sellers as baseball starved fans on the Potomac swiped it up, as plans
for a new ballpark that is scheduled to open in 2008 were announced, while MLB
sought bidders for permanent ownership in Washington. The Nationals would start
the season on the road playing their first nine games and compiling a 5-4 record
including an April 6th game in which Brad Wilkerson delivered a cycle in the
Nationals first ever win against the Philadelphia Phillies. On April 14th baseball
finally returned to Nation's Capital as President George W. Bush keeping
with an old Presidential tradition threw out the first pitch as the Nationals beat
the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-3 at RFK Stadium, the old home of the Senators.
The Nationals would go on to compile a respectable 13-11 record at the end of the
first month. The Nationals would remain hot over the next two months and led
the National League Eastern Division by five and half games over the Atlanta Braves
entering the 4th of July with a record of 51-30. However, hosting the New
York Mets for a four game series the Nationals began to sputter as the Mets took
three-of-four games as the Nats went into the second half losing five-of-seven
at RFK Stadium to division opponents. After the break the Nationals struggles
continued as their grip on first place quickly slipped away, as by the time they
entered a three game series with the Braves in Atlanta the lead was gone. The
Nats would be swept in the series and would never see first place again. The
Nationals continued to struggle in August as they ended losing a total 24-of 32-games
over a five week period ending on August 11th. The Nationals would stop
the sinking with a three game sweep of the Colorado Rockies to keep them in the
Wild Card Race as all five National League East teams had .500 or better records
and were in thick of the playoff chase heading into September. However, the
Nats would quickly fall off in the race as they began to slip further in the NL
East Standings as a three game sweep at the hands of the Mets dropped them to
.500, and into last place where they would post an 81-81 record. Among the individual
highlights for the first year Nationals were Chad Cordero who won the National
League Fireman Award with 47 saves, while Livan Hernandez led the team
with a 15-10 record. At the plate homers were scarce in cavernous RFK Stadium as
Jose Guillen led the team with 24 homers and 76 RBI.

2006: As the Nationals entered year two plans were still be finalized for the new stadium,
while an owner was finally found as the group led by Washington area real estate
millionaire Ted Lerner won the bidding at $450 Million. Lerner would take
over in July naming longtime Atlanta Braves exec Stan Kasten as the team's President.
On the field the Nationals made news by acquiring Alfonso Soriano in a
trade with the Texas Rangers. The trade seemed extra risky with Soriano becoming
a free agent at the end of the season, as he expressed displeasure with being
moved from Second Base to Left Field by Manager Frank Robinson. After threatening
to refuse to play Soriano agreed to move to the outfield and had the finest
season of his career, becoming just the fourth player in baseball history to have
a 40-40 season with 46 homers and 41 stolen bases. However, Soriano's success
did not translate into wins, as the Nationals struggled from the very beginning
of the season as they won just two of their first 11 games on the way to a
horrible 8-17 April. The Nationals would not recover from their poor start and
would spend almost the entire season rotting in Last Place in the National League
East, as they ended the year with a record of 71-91. As the season ended Manager
Frank Robinson was let go ending a storied 50-year Hall of Fame career in
baseball. Meanwhile the Nationals who made a halfhearted attempt to trade Alfonso
Soriano at the trade deadline, watched helplessly as he signed a eight year
contract worth $136 million with the Chicago Cubs.
2007: In year three the Nationals secure with a new owner and a new stadium under construction
began the process of settling into the Washington DC market as they had
a new manager in Manny Acta as they started to focus on the future, as they hired
former Atlanta Braves President Stan Kasten to run the team's baseball operations.
Heading into their final season at RFK Stadium, not much was expected of
the Nats, as they got off to a terrible 9-25 start. However, as the year went
on the Nationals played much better as they won 13 of their next 20 games, and
proved to be pesky to some of the top teams in their division. None more pesky
then the New York Mets, whom the Nationals beat five times in the final two weeks
of the regular season to knock them out of first place and out of the playoffs,
as they played .500 ball after the All-Star Break, finishing in fourth place
with a record of 73-89.
2008: On March 30th the future began for the Nationals, as they opened their brand new
stadium, Nationals Park with a Nationally Televised Sunday Night game against the
Atlanta Braves. In holding to tradition President George W. Bush once again
threw out the first pitch, but the last pitch is the one that would bring Nats
fans to their feet, as Ryan Zimmerman hit a two-out two-run walk off home run to
give the Nats a thrilling 3-2 win. However, there would not be much more to cheer
in the earl part of the season, as the Nats quickly found themselves in last
place, posting a 9-17 record in April, after winning their first two games that
were played in March. Things would not get much better from there as the Nationals
took it on the chin through out the season, including an awful July in
which they won just five games, as they topped 100 losses, posting a terrible record
of 59-102.2009: At the start of the season the Nationals took their lumps early and often, losing
10 of their first 11 games, on the way to an awful April in which they posted
a 5-16 record. Things would not get better in May as they lost 20 games, and sat
in last place again with a record of 14-36 through 50 games. While June provided
more struggles, the Nationals would win two out of three against the New York
Yankees in the Bronx. The Yankees would go on to win the World Series, as the
Nats continued to be the worst team in baseball, failing to win ten games again
while posting a 9-17 record. While the Nationals lost on the field in June they
added a big piece off the field, drafting hard throwing righty Stephen Strasburg
out of San Diego State with the first overall pick in the draft. Labeled
a can't miss prospect, the Nationals hope Strasburg could be the foundation to
build the franchise upon. The Nationals reached the All-Star Break with a record
of 26-61, and decided to make a change firing Manager Manny Acta and replacing
him with Jim Riggleman. Under Riggleman the Nationals would not so much improvement
as they went on to post an awful 59-103 record.2010: After two straight 100 loss seasons, the Nationals entered the season with air of
anticipation for the debut of Stephen Strasburg who as the top pick in the 2009
MLB Draft. Even before the debut of Strasburg, the Nationals showed some signs
of improvement a 13-10 record in April. The Nats continued to play somewhat competitive
baseball in May, and entered June with a 26-26. While fans continued
to wait for Strasburg, the Nationals with the top pick in the MLB Draft landed
another can't miss prospect in slugger Bryce Harper, who appeared on the cover
of Sports Illustrated while still a sophomore in High School. A day after the
draft on June 8th a sold out crowd at Nationals Park got to witness the debut of
Stephen Strasburg, who allowed two earn runs in seven innings, while setting
a Washington Nationals record of 14 strikeouts as the Nats beat the Pittsburgh
Pirates 5-2. Strasburg pitched well in his first five starts, but it would not
result in wins for the Nationals posted an 8-19 record in June. In July the Nats
would improve to 11-12, but with a sore shoulder Stephen Strasburg spent some
time on the disabled list. He would return in August, but despite the Nationals
best efforts to use, their rookie star sparingly Stephen Strasburg's season would
end on August 21st with a torn ligament in his elbow. He would require Tommy
John surgery that would cost him the 2011 season. Strasburg posted a 5-3 record
with a 2.91 ERA and 92 strikeouts in 12 starts. Without Strasburg, the Nationals
would lose their buzz as they went on to finish in last place again, with
a record of 69-93.
2011: As the season began, Stephen Strasburg was still recovering from Tommy John surgery,
while Bryce Harper was just beginning his professional career. The Nationals
hoped to begin the climb to respectability as the season began. While losing
Adam Dunn to free agency, the Nats signed Jayson Werth to a 7 year deal worth $126
million. Opening day would be a bit of a disappointment for the Nats, as they
started the season with a 2-0 loss to the Atlanta Braves at Nationals Park.
The Nats would lose four of their first five games as they had a streak April,
finishing the month with a record of 12-14 as they sat in third place in the National
League East. The Nationals would continue their streaky play in May, as
Werth struggled with the high expectations of a big contract. Werth would end the
season with a disappointing .232 average with 20 home runs and 58 RBI. After
slipping to 27-36, the Nationals suddenly became the hottest team in baseball,
as they won 12 of their next 13 games, as they got strong play from Catcher Wilson
Ramos, 1B Michael Morse and SS Danny Espinosa all of whom had solid breakout
seasons. On June 23rd the Nationals climbed over at 38-37. It was the latest
they were over .500 since 2005. Despite the streak and despite their winning record,
Manager Jim Riggleman suddenly resigned after the 1-0 walk off win over
the Seattle Mariners. While Bench Coach John McLaren ran the team, the Nationals
continued their strong play, as they took two of three games on the road against
the Chicago White Sox, which included a thrilling 9-5 win in 14 innings. The
Nationals would then hand the reigns over to Davey Johnson. Under Johnson, the
Nats struggled at first losing their first three games on the road against the
Los Angeles Angels. Eventually the Nationals would get back on track and enter
the All-Star Break at .500 with a 46-46 record. After the break the Nationals
would go into a slump, as any chance of getting into the pennant race, slipped
away as they dropped 10 of 13. While Stephen Strasburg began a rehab assignment
the Nationals had a disappointing August, as they again posted a losing month.
Strasburg would make his season debut at Nationals Park, allowing just two hits
in five scoreless innings, with four strike outs. However, the Nats pen would
lose the game as the Los Angeles Dodgers won 7-3. Stephen Strasburg would make
five starts posting a 1-1 record with an ERA at 1.50. The Nationals would finish
the season strong, winning 14 of their last 18 games, as they finished in third
place with a record of 80-81.2012: With Stephen Strasburg healthy and ready to start the season in April the Nationals
began the season with one of the best starting rotations in the National League,
as they had acquired Gio Gonzalez from the Oakland Athletics and signed Edwin
Jackson in the off-season. Still the Nats wanted to take things slowly with
their young talented hurler so they set an early season innings limit, figuring
that despite the talent on the team, the club was still at least a year away
from being ready to play October baseball. After starting the season by winning
four of six on the road against the Chicago Cubs and New York Mets, the Nationals
would win their home opener in dramatic fashion as Ryan Zimmerman scored on
a wild pitch by Alfredo Simon as the Nats beat the Cincinnati Reds 3-2 in ten
innings. The following day they would win in 13 innings, on a single by Jayson
Werth. The Nationals through the first 18 games were the best team in baseball,
posting a record of 14-4. As April came to an end the Nats had to deal with several
key injuries as both Jayson Werth and Ryan Zimmerman went on the disabled
list. To keep the offense on track, the Nationals decided it was time to call
up 2010 #1 draft pick Bryce Harper. Harper played well in his first weekend in
the majors, but the Nats had their first slump of the season, with a four game
sweep at the hands of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Coming home Harper showed his toughness
stealing home against the Philadelphia Phillies after getting plunked on
purpose by Cole Hammels. The Nats would take that early May series at home against
the Phillies, setting a tone that they were not going away in the Eastern
Division. Still keeping any losing streak short was the pitching of Gio Gonzalez
and Stephen Strasburg who had a combined record of 21-7 at the All-Star Break.
Both would be named to the All-Star team, along with Bryce Harper who at 19
became the third youngest All-Star in MLB history. At the break the Nationals had
a record of 49-34 and were on target to reach the playoffs. However, the strategy
limiting Strasburg to 160 innings remained in place, as some around the team
felt it was time to take the reins off as the Nationals were clearly a team
capable of going all the way to the World Series as they rolled through the summer
with a record of 80-51. Leading the way was a Nats offense equally as strong
as their pitching staff, as Adam LaRoche, Ryan Zimmerman and Ian Desmond all
topped 20 homers. With two Wild Cards, the Nats were all but assured of making
the playoffs. However, on September 8th Strasburg threw his last pitch of the
season as he got roughed up by the Marlins at home. Despite Strasburg's struggles,
the Nationals would win the game 7-6 on a walk off hit by Chad Gaudin in the
10th Inning. While Strasburg was shutdown, Gio Gonzalez remained the Nationals
most reliable starter, winning a MLB best 21 games, along with a 2.89 ERA and
207 strikeouts, as he finished third in Cy Young voting. Gonzalez was not the
only National receiving individual honors, as Bryce Harper finished the season
with 19 home runs and was named Rookie of the Year as Davey Johnson won Manager
of the Year. The Nats would lock up a playoff spot on September 20th and a week
later did the unthinkable, by winning the National League Eastern Division as
Gonzalez earned the win as the Nationals beat the Phillies 7-3 on the road. The
Nats would go on to post the best record in all of baseball at 98-64.
2012 Postseason: Despite the first postseason baseball in Washington in 79 years there was no thought
of bringing back Stephen Strasburg to pitch against the St. Louis Cardinals
in the NLDS. Gio Gonzalez would get the start and would show some nerves as he
walked four batters and threw a wild pitch as the Cardinals scored twice in the
2nd inning without a base hit. Gonzalez would settle down as the score remained
2-1 in the Cardinals favor until the 7th inning, when Tyler Moore delivered
a two-out, pinch-hit single to give the Nationals a 3-2 lead. The lead would stand
as Tyler Clippard and Drew Storen finished the game in the eighth and ninth.
After losing 12-4 in Game 2, the Nats came home to a sold out stadium anticipating
seeing history. However, it was more disappointment Nats fans saw, as they
were blanked 8-0 in their second straight flat performance. In Game 4, needing
a win the Nationals got a strong start from Ross Detwiler allowed just one hit
over six innings matching Kyle Lohse in an old fashioned pitcher's duel. The
score was tied 1-1 when Jayson Werth who battled injuries all season led off the
ninth inning by hitting the first pitch from Lance Lynn over the Leftfield wall
for a walk off homer. The momentum would carry over to Game 5, as the Nationals
jumped out to a 6-0 lead on home runs by Ryan Zimmerman , Bryce Harper , and
Michael Morse. However, the defending World Champion Cardinals would not
down easily, chipping away at the lead to make the score 6-5 in the eighth inning.
After getting a much needed insurance run in the bottom of the eighth the
Nationals were one out away from the NLCS with Closer Drew Storen on the mound
and a runner on third. However, Storen suddenly was hit by nerves, walking Yadier
Molina and David Freese as the entire crowd stood anticipating victory. With
nerves getting frayed Storen would give up a two run single to Daniel Descalso,
which would tie the game 7-7. The Cards would than take the lead on a two run
single by Pete Kozma. The Nationals would go down in order as the Cardinals celebrated
a 9-7 win to reach the NLCS as the crowd at Nationals Park stood in stunned
disbelief.
2013: Coming off a division championship, there was a great deal of anticipation around
the old Capital City as the Washington Nationals were considered a favorite to
reach the World Series in what would be Manager Davey Johnson's final season as
he announced plans to retire after the season. The Nats got off to a fast start,
sweeping the Miami Marlins to start the season at home, as they won seven of
their first nine games. However, early troubles with the Atlanta Braves would
become a theme of the season, as they were swept by the Braves at Nationals Parks
in an early April series. One player who struggled early was Stephen Strasburg,
who lost five straight decisions after earning the win on Opening Day. The
Nats would finish April with a disappointing record of 13-14, losing the first
two of a four game series in Atlanta. The Nats would begin May winning the next
two against the Braves, but could not find any consistency as every time they
would climb above .500 they suffer a losing streak and find themselves digging
out of another hole. While the Nationals struggled the Braves built a big lead
in the National League East. The same inconstancy would carry on throughout the
season as the bobbed up and down around the .500 mark, through the end of August
as they never got more than five games above .55 nor were they ever more than
six games below. With the division out of reach, and the Wild Card a longshot,
the Nationals finally found their groove in September as they started the final
month by winning 15 of 19 games. However, it was too late as the Pittsburgh
Pirates and Cincinnati Reds had wrapped up the Wild Card spots. The Nationals
would win just three of their final seven games as they finished the year with
a record of 86-76, falling four games short of the Wild Card and ten games behind
the Braves in the division race. Stephen Strasburg pitched in hard luck most
of the season, posting a record of 8-9 with an ERA of 3.00, while Jordan Zimmerman
had a terrific season, posting a team best record of 19-9 with a 3.25 ERA.
Gio Gonzalez, though unable to match his previous season's success posted a solid
11-8 mark with an ERA of 3.36, while Dan Haren finished a disappointing season
with a record of 10-14 and an ERA of 4.67. Bryce Harper's sometimes reckless
style of play would cost him more than 40 games as he injured his knee crashing
into the wall at Dodger Stadium. Nonethless he continued to establish himself
as one of baseball's best young power hitters, with 20 home runs and 58 RBI in
118 games. Harper was one of five Nats with at least 20 home runs, with Ryan
Zimerman hitting 26, Jayson Werth hitting 25 with a team high 82 RBI, while Adam
LaRoche and Ian Desmond hit 20 each.
2014: With new Manager Matt Williams, the Nationals started the season on the road against
the New York Mets, rallying to win the opener in ten innings 9-7 thanks in
part to a three run home run from Anthony Rendon. The Nationals would win all three
games against the Mets before coming home to face the Atlanta Braves. The
Braves would spoil opening weekend in DC, winning the first two games before the
Nats salvaged the Sunday finale. Despite their struggles against the Braves,
the Nationals started well, winning seven of their first nine game. The Braves
would continue to frustrate the Nationals sweeping a series in Atlanta. In that
series, Washington also lost Ryan Zimmerman to thumb injury. Already dealing with
a degenerative shoulder injury, Zimmerman would be on and off the disabled
list all season. A thumb injury would also shelve Bryce Harper as the Nationals
finished April with a record of 16-12. May would be a month of struggles for the
Nationals as they slipped under .500. Among the players struggling were Stephen
Strasburg and Gio Gonzalez who each had losing records. The Nationals fortunes
would begin to turn in June, as they won eight of nine games, highlighted by
three straight wins in San Francisco against the Giants. The winning streak enabled
the Nationals to take over first place in the National League East. As the
Nationals started winning so were Strasburg and Gonzalez, while Doug Fister
and Jordan Zimmermann emerged as their two top pitchers. Zimmermann would post
a record of 14-5 with an ERA of 2.66, while Fister led the team with a 16-6 record
and an ERA of 2.41. Offensively, while Ryan Zimmerman was hobbled, Anthony
Rendon took over at third base, and had a breakout season with 21 home runs and
83 RBI, while Adam LaRoche led the team with 26 homers and 92 RBI, with Ian Desmond
homering 24 times, while driving in 91 runs. The Atlanta Braves who early
in the season looked like a challenger for the division title went into a second
half slump, as the Nationals began to build a big a double digit lead. The Nationals
would all but wrap up their second division title in three years, with
a ten game winning streak, that saw them get six walk off wins. The Nationals
with 38 wins over the last two months would finish the season with the best record
in the National League at 96-66. They would end the season with a bang as Jordan
Zimmermann no hit the Miami Marlins 1-0 at Nationals Park in the final game
of the regular season. It was the first No Hitter, for a Washington baseball
team since Bobby Burke in 1931. 2014 NLDS: The Nationals would face the San Francisco Giants in the National League Division
Series. The Giants needed a win over the Pittsburgh Pirates in the Wild Card Game
before reaching Washington. Stephen Strasburg got the start for Washington
in Game 1, and was hit around as the Giants built a 3-0 lead. The Nationals were
unable to solve Jake Peavy at the same time as they were held hitless until the
fifth inning. The Nats finally strung together a rally in the sixth inning,
but left the bases loaded after Hunter Strickland struck out Ian Desmond. Bryce
Harper and Asdrúbal Cabrera got the Nats on the board with homers in the seventh
inning, but they would get no closer as the Giants won the opener 3-2. Jordan
Zimmermann fresh off his No Hitter took the mound for Game 2, and may have pitched
even better, retiring 20 straight Giants, before walking Joe Panik in the
ninth inning with two outs. The Nationals were hard pressed to score against Tim
Hudson and had just a slim 1-0 lead when Closer Drew Storen came on to get the
final out. However, Storen faltered allowing a single to Buster Posey and a
game tying double to Pablo Sandoval. Posey attempted to score the winning run but
was tagged out at home by Wilson Ramos. From there the game was in the hands
of the bullpens and neither team could get on the board, as the game set a new
record for the longest postseason game in terms of time and innings at 18, before
Brandon Belt homered off Tanner Roark to give the Giants a 2-1 win. Game 3
in San Francisco would be another pitcher's duel as Doug Fister matched Madison
Bumgarner for six scoreless innings. Finally the Nationals caught a break on a
Bumgarner throwing error to score three runs in the seventh inning on the way
to a 4-1 win to avert the sweep. In Game 4, the Nationals would battle back from
an early 2-0 deficit as Bryce Harper splashed his third home run of the series
into McCovey Cove in the seventh inning. However, the Giants would score the
go ahead run on a wild pitch by Aaron Barrett in the bottom or the inning. The
Giants would win the game 3-2 and go on to win their third World Series Championship
in five years.
2015: Left and Right, Blue and Red both could not be more bullish on the Washington Nationals
as they entered the season as the overwhelming favorite in the National
League after adding Max Scherzer to an already stacked starting rotation. The Nationals
got Scherzer a former American League Cy Young winner by signing the Free
Agent to a seven-year contract worth $210 million. Scherzer got the nod on
Opening Day as the Nationals hosted the New York Mets. Max Scherzer was sharp in
his Nationals debut as he did not allow a hit until the sixth inning. Sadly he
would leave the game with a loss as two errors by Ian Desmond led to three unearned
runs allowing the Mets to win the game 3-1. Errors and injuries would be
the story for the Nationals in April as they muddled along most of the way, posting
a record of 10-13. As April came to an end Jayson Werth and Denard Span returned
to the lineup. Though the two would spend more time on the bench and in
the field fighting through various injuries all season. One player who was healthy
all season was Bryce Harper, who had the career year fans have been waiting
for. Starting with a home run in the opener, Harper, who had a career best
.330 average was the unquestioned star of the season, with a league best 42
home runs, and 99 RBI to win both the Hank Aaron Award and the National League's
MVP. Powered by an 18-9 record in May the Nationals would take over first place
in the Eastern Division erasing, which once was an eight game deficit. However,
the good times would not last as injuries continued to have their way with
the Nationals lineup, as they never truly had their full 1-8 lineup together at
the same time. Even their vaunted starting five failed to match expectations
as Stephen Strasburg and Gio Gonzalez both struggled at times, with Max Scherzer
often pitching in hard luck. Scherzer would manage just a 14-12 record despite
a 2.79 ERA and 276 strikeouts. One game that Max Scherzer did not need any support
was on June 14th he allowed just one while pitching a complete game 4-0 shutout
against the Milwaukee Brewers, striking out 18 batters in the process at
Miller Park. Six days later Max Scherzer was even better, retiring the first 26
batters before hitting Jose Tabata with a 2-2 pitch. Scherzer would retire Josh
Harrison to finish the No Hitter, as the Nats blanked the Pittsburgh Pirates
6-0 at Nationals Park, with Scherzer also recording ten strike outs. The Nationals
would spend much of June and July in first place, but could not create any
distance between them and the Mets. As the trade deadline approached the Mets
were making big moves to fix their anemic lineup, the Nationals meanwhile looked
to improve their bullpen by acquiring Jonathan Papelbon from the Philadelphia
Phillies for Nick Pivetta. The deal would have a negative effect as Drew Storen
who had been the closer in the first half of the season struggled in the setup
role. As July came to an end the Nationals led the Mets by three games, entering
a three game series at Citi Field. The Mets would win all three games to even
the race for the Eastern Division. The Mets would roll past the Nationals who
struggled throughout August, with Storen becoming a liability posting a record
of 0-2 with a 9.22 ERA after the trade, while Papelbon rubbed many of his new
teammates the wrong way. As September arrived the Nationals had one last chance
to win the division hosting the Mets in a three game series starting on Labor
Day. It was there that the Nationals bullpen struggles came to a full head as
the Mets again swept the Nats to all but put the NL East out of reach. The middle
game was particularly frustrating as the Mets rallied from a 7-1 deficit with
six runs in the seventh inning. Things got so frustrating for Drew Storen who
broken his thumb slamming his locker shut in frustration. Frustration would also
spill over with Papelbon as he got in a fight with Bryce Harper in the dugout
at Nationals Park. Papelbon would be suspended for the final week of the regular
season as the Nationals finished the year with a disappointing record of 83-79
leading to the dismissal of Manager Matt Williams. The Nats would have one
last great moment before the season ended as Max Scherzer pitched a second No Hitter
blanking the Mets 2-0 in the next to last game of the season, striking on
17 batters including nine straight as a Yunel Escobar error led to the Mets only
base runner.